


First Choice

by chibifanwriter



Series: Arthur's Choice [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: But mostly fluff, Fluff, High School AU, M/M, Reincarnation, kind of, little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 03:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7492962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibifanwriter/pseuds/chibifanwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Merlin finally figures out that he should stop taking things as set in stone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Choice

**Author's Note:**

> I started this as a little coda to Second Choice because I wanted to write something where Merlin is the seducee instead of seducer. Then it ballooned into ridiculous proportions until I realised it was actually ridiculous and the space plot was taking away from the actual story I wanted to write. So you get this instead, and the space plot gets its own story.

Merlin meets Arthur when he’s fourteen and just moved into town.

Well technically, Merlin meets Gwaine first since Gwaine lives just a few houses over and is a nosy bugger who’d wandered down soon as he’d spotted the moving van.

It’s through Gwaine that Merlin meets Gwen, and through Gwen that Merlin meets Arthur. Gwaine and Gwen are childhood friends. Gwen and Arthur have been neighbours all their lives. They’re a close knit group of friends that fold Merlin in with little fuss.

Merlin allows himself to be folded in, to become Gwaine’s best friend, Gwen’s shopping buddy, Arthur’s go-to to hang out with. And he tries to ignore the sinking feeling that the circle he’d thought broken is back again.

(The thing is, it’s hard to get rid of all his doubts and insecurities. They’ve had years and dozens of lifetimes to form and settle themselves comfortably in his subconscious. They come from heartbreak and tears and despair, from sadness and depression and never ending self-doubt. It’s hard to break a habit that’s had centuries to form.

He’s tried to explain this to Morgana but she--she doesn’t understand, not really. She never had the words _second choice_ pressed on her. She’s always been and will always be Leon’s first choice, even if he didn’t realise it. It doesn’t help that in this life she’s three years older than Arthur and has been dating Leon for four years.)

When school starts, Gwaine drags Merlin (literally. He grabs Merlin by the arm almost as soon as he steps into the school grounds and pulls him towards a group of kids clustered near the doors) over to introduce him to the rest of their friend group. Elyan is unrelated to Gwen in this life but still acts like her older brother, which everyone seems to find hilarious. Elena, who pops up every now and then and is brilliantly headstrong and funny in each life, is Gwaine’s partner is crime. 

Mithian is a surprise. Mithian rarely appears in any of their lives and when she does, she tends to float on the outskirts of their friend group, ever independent of their almost always co-dependent group. In this life, she’s not only part of them, she’s very obviously Gwen’s best friend. 

(There’s also something going on between her and Arthur, which Merlin tries very hard not to notice because he remembers all too well the near disastrous courtship during their first life.)

But that’s not the only surprise waiting for Merlin in this life--or even in this school. Halfway through his first day, he comes across Will and Percival fighting over the remote control for a little drone made to be played with indoors. That they’re in a chemistry lab and the drone is buzzing dangerously close to a cupboard of unknown chemicals doesn’t seem to faze them.

Merlin--Merlin can’t say he’s too surprised. Will’s always been predisposed to mischief and Percival tends to get attached to resident troublemakers. The only difference is that in this life that troublemaker is Will rather than Gwaine. 

So Merlin meets Will and Percival after he manages to grab their drone before it crashes into the cupboard of chemicals, and they (re)introduce him to Freya soon after. And he’s so happy he’s met them because they give him some much needed breathers from the others. He loves Gwaine and Gwen and Arthur and everyone else but every time he’s with them, he can’t help but see the circle closing in.

(He’s maybe being paranoid, maybe being overly pessimistic, but in every life since the one he thought he’d broken the circle, he’s met Arthur first, worked hard to make Arthur notice him first, flirted and seduced and made Arthur _his_ before Gwen ever entered the picture. This is the first time Gwen’s met Arthur before Merlin but more than that, they’re friends. Good friends and Merlin has seen at least eight lives where Gwen and Arthur’s friendship has deepened into love. He thinks he can be forgiven for being paranoid. Morgana says it’s ridiculous but what does she know? All she has to do is smile and Leon’s head over heels. Merlin’s never had that.)

(Merlin might be a little bitter.)

The stage is set. All they’re waiting for is Lance. 

In the meantime, Merlin hangs out with Gwaine, Gwen, Elyan, Elena, Mithian and Arthur, always Arthur, and he breaks away to spend time with Will and Percival and Freya for the sake of his sanity and his heart.

It takes a while for Merlin to realise that Arthur keeps trying to follow him when he goes to hang out with Will, Percival and Freya. In his defense, he usually meets up with them and Arthur just...appears. Percival and Freya are fine. Will is wary. Merlin has no idea how he keeps turning up wherever they are. 

(The answer, he finds out later, is Gwaine because Gwaine can never not interfere, no matter what life he’s born into.)

Will tends to disappear within five minutes of Arthur turning up, taking Percival and Freya with him and leaving Merlin and Arthur alone. It’s not awkward--there’s a reason Merlin has become Arthur’s go-to hang-out buddy--but it’s giving Merlin hope he really doesn’t need, especially with the school buzzing about Mithian and Arthur’s maybe-maybe not relationship.

It doesn’t help that Arthur is more touchy feely in this life than Merlin is used to. He slings his arm around Merlin’s shoulders, stands close enough their arms brush, grabs Merlin by the wrist to drag him places, taps Merlin’s elbow and leaves his fingers there when he wants Merlin’s attention. All in all, it’s more touching than Merlin is used to and it’s got him dizzy and confused and nearly strangling on hope.

(He’s found out, over the years and decades and centuries of lives, that hope can be the most uplifting and the most damaging emotion there is.)

Then Elena happens. Elena is many things but subtle is not one of them. Sledge hammer is a better term for Elena’s brand of ‘helping’, though Merlin means it in the nicest way possible. In this case, Elena’s version of helping is setting Merlin and Arthur up on a blind date. 

With each other.

(Merlin said yes because Elena brought out The Eyes. Everyone agrees that The Eyes should be classed as mind control but since Elena rarely employs them, it’s not official.)

(Merlin has no idea why Arthur said yes.)

In the end, all that matters is that Merlin’s squashed with Arthur into a tiny booth that’s meant to be romantic but just comes off as an attempt to cram as many people into the limited space that the owners can get away with without it becoming a hazard. It doesn’t help that the single rose in the dingy glass vase on the table is very fake and of a pink that doesn’t appear in nature. 

Arthur doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, Arthur seems to take the booth’s small space as an excuse to move closer to Merlin, until they’re pressed together from their shoulders to their knees. Merlin is maybe dying a little. 

(He’s fourteen and his hormones have just started ping-ponging all over the place. He can be excused.)

They order and the food comes and it’s just like any other meal they’ve had since Arthur decided that Merlin is his BFF—until Arthur doesn’t push his plate over when Merlin asks for the bite of his pasta.

Merlin gives him a wounded look, fork suspended mid-reach. Arthur lifts his own fork, loaded with pasta, and holds it out with an expectant look. Merlin stares at him and he motions impatiently. “What?”

Arthur sighs heavily. “Open your mouth.”

“Why?” Then the lightbulb goes off and Merlin leans back. “No, you’re not feeding me like I’m some baby. Just pass me your plate.”

“ _Mer_ lin,” Arthur starts, putting the fork down and leaning forward. “You do realise this is a _date_ , right?”

Merlin rolls his eyes because, yes, he is very, very, _very_ aware this is a ‘date’, as much as it can be, considering Elena set it up because she’s _insane_ and Arthur is here because he’s probably been lied to. 

He says as much to Arthur. Who sits back back with a deep frown pulling at his lips. “She didn’t lie to me.”

Merlin rolls his eyes. “I did say probably.”

“Merlin, I _asked_ Elena to set this up.”

“You--what--now?”

Arthur hunches his shoulders, small in a way Merlin hasn’t seen him in _lives_. “I asked her to set this up.” He taps his fingers on the edge of the table. 

That--that can’t be true. In all their lives, Arthur’s never resorted to anything like this. He’s sneaky about a lot of things, but asking Merlin out? He’s always been upfront about his intentions. 

So-- “ _why?_ ”

“Because you didn’t get it!” Arthur threw his hands up in the air, sudden enough Merlin had to dodge them or get smacked in the face. “Every time I tried to ask you out, you’d ask who else is coming along, or you’d just invite other people around. For god’s sakes, who in their right mind would go watch a romantic movie with a group of friends?”

“You’re the one who suggested it!” 

“It was supposed to be a _date_.”

“Well I didn’t know that. Also, also,” Merlin adds before Arthur can do more than open his mouth to reply, “what about you and Mithian?”

That makes Arthur snaps his mouth shut. But it also makes his eyes bug out and he reaches out, smacks Merlin on the head. “Ow!”

“What the _hell_ do you mean, what about me and Mithian?”

Merlin gestures at Arthur with both hands. From the way his brows are gathering ever closer together, it doesn’t enlighten him at all. “You! And Mithian! Everyone says you’re on! And then off and then on and then--mmf!”

Merlin glares because Arthur--the absolute _ass_ \--slapped his hand over Merlin’s mouth. 

“First of all,” Arthur says in a soft voice that dozens of lives has trained Merlin to pay absolute attention to. “There is no Mithian and I. Secondly, you should have just asked me instead of listening to idiots gossiping. Thirdly.” He pauses, shakes his head and drops his hand, his fingers trailing over Merlin’s jaw before he releases Merlin completely and Merlin has to bite the inside of his cheek because that’s completely _unfair_.

“Thirdly,” he continues, “I like _you_ Merlin, you complete and utter idiot. How could you not see that?”

“I’m not an--wait, what?”

“I like you,” Arthur repeats and this time his voice is gentler, sweeter. “I. Like. _You_.”

Merlin has no idea what to do with that information. It’s--it’s not the first time he’s heard those three words. But it’s the first time he’s heard them without saying them first, and without copious amounts of flirting on his end. It’s the first time Arthur’s said it without prompting. It’s the first time Arthur’s said it after, it seems, he’s pursued _Merlin_. 

It’s. It’s amazing and Arthur’s starting to look nervous because Merlin’s just sitting here, like a _lump_ and staring for Gods know how long because Arthur’s right, he’s an _idiot_.

He does the only thing he can think of, which is to scoop up a forkful of his fish and hold it towards Arthur, even though he didn’t ask for it and prefer fish without a creamy sauce. Arthur (sweet Arthur, lovely Arthur, _Merlin’s_ Arthur) doesn’t hesitate, just leans forward and lets Merlin feed him the small bite of fish. 

Merlin can feel himself flush, the bright red that starts at his ears, creeps into the cheeks and flows down to his neck. Arthur sits back, somehow managing to look smug while chewing. And Merlin can’t take it anymore.

He barely waits for Arthur to swallow before he surges forward, pressing his lips to Arthur’s. He can feel Arthur’s lips curve below his in a smile before his arms come around Merlin’s waist and he pulls him in as close as possible in the tiny booth.

(The kiss is clumsy and they bump teeth before they can figure out how to fit their mouths together properly. It’s not entirely Merlin’s fault. He might have decades of memories full of kissing Arthur and more, but in this life, in this now, he’s fourteen and this is his first real kiss.)

They kiss and kiss and would have probably kept kissing for an inappropriately long time if a waitress hadn’t passed by with a rattle of her tray that’s obviously meant to, in a subtle way, remind them that, hey, there are people here and they probably don’t want to see two teenagers making out.

Merlin pulls back, enough that he can look at Arthur without crossing his eyes. Arthur keeps an arm around Merlin’s waist and uses his free hand to push Merlin’s hair behind his ear. “So,” he drawls, “I take it that means you like me too.”

Merlin can’t help the giggle that breaks through and he knows his face is bright red when he pushes it into Arthur’s shoulder. “Yes,” he manages between giggles, “okay, I kind of like you too.”

Arthur doesn’t reply but Merlin can feel the way his lips curve as he presses them to Merlin’s temple. 

(Later, after their date, Arthur clears up just how the Mithian rumours started. It’s a long story and essentially boils down to yes, they were a maybe but then Merlin came into the picture and they turned into a definite no. Merlin’s not a little smug about it.)

(Later still, after several dates, after telling their friends and having to sit through several agonising rounds of I-told-you-so’s, after telling their parents and listening to the even worse be-careful-if-you’re-having-sex talks, Arthur takes Merlin to this small hill far enough from the town that they can see the stars. They lay down there, on a blanket Arthur brought for that exact purpose, tangled up in each other and Arthur murmurs into Merlin’s ear all the plans he has for them, stretching from now to university and beyond. Merlin closes his eyes and, for the first time in centuries, lets himself believe.)

**Author's Note:**

> Coda to the coda:
> 
> (Much, much, much later, after Merlin and Arthur are married and Elena has served as surrogate for their daughter and their daughter has grown enough to go to kindergarten, they meet Lance. He is, of course, Ygraine's teacher, because that is how their life goes. The first time Gwen meets him, she nearly drops Ygraine. Arthur, being Arthur, doesn't let it go for YEARS, long after everyone else has. Lance shoots back that at least Gwen accepted his invitation to date on the first go and he didn't have to resort to begging Elena to set them up on a blind date. That always shuts Arthur up, at least for a little while)
> 
> You can always find me on [tumblr](http://chibiblogger.tumblr.com/)


End file.
